U.S. urges Yemen to accept U.N.-drafted roadmap for peace talks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States expressed disappointment on Wednesday at the Yemeni government's reaction to a U.N.-drafted roadmap to end the country's civil war and urged it to accept the proposal as a basis to begin negotiations on a peace agreement.

Yemen appeared to reject the U.N. plan on Tuesday, calling it a "dangerous international precedent" that would legitimize the rebellion against the internationally recognized government. State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a news briefing the United States was "disappointed" by Yemen's reaction.

"We call on the Yemeni government to accept the roadmap," he said. "We recognize that the roadmap does contain difficult choices and underscore that compromises and concessions by all parties will be necessary to reach a durable political settlement."